As the city invests in multiple gun violence initiatives in an effort to drive down shooting and homicide rates, data shows a handful of the city’s own police officers have perpetuated gun violence on multiple occasions. Portland Police Bureau (PPB) data shows four officers involved in recent fatal shootings have each shot at members of the public at least twice since 2021. One officer has logged three shootings in that timeframe–two of them fatal. Another.
Racism and discrimination act as stressors to increase mental health vulnerability, according to experts, especially for BIPOC individuals; Black, Indigenous and People of Color. July is BIPOC Mental Health Month and highlights mental health challenges including discrimination, oppression and inequality, which can contribute to collective and individual trauma. Victor Romero-Hernandez, advocacy and policy associate for Equality New Mexico, believes a long-awaited decision about the future of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, weighs heavily for many right now. .
Texas high schools offering training in corrections and law enforcement are being tapped by the state s Department of Criminal Justice to address massive staffing shortages at jails and prisons. Nearly a third of corrections positions in Texas prisons are vacant. Jordan Huebner, a criminal justice instructor at Huntsville High School in rural Walker County, home to seven state prisons and headquarters for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said at least 10% of her students will work in corrections at some point. .
When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the CROWN Act into law this month, she tweeted she is "proud to take action to make Michigan a more equitable and inclusive place." The CROWN Act expands civil protections against discrimination based on a person s hair texture or hairstyle. It means companies and schools will need to consider such factors in their dress codes and appearance policies. .
Portland has nixed plans to bring gunshot detection technology to the city. The technology - designed by a company formerly known as ShotSpotter, and now called SoundThinking - raised concerns among some Portlanders that it might be used to more heavily police low income communities and communities of color. In his announcement, Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city would not move forward with the project because of resource constraints. .